Recipe: Rosehip Syrup

Remember when I said recently that we’d been harvesting lots of local ingredients and making them into delicious preserves? Well, today I am going to share with you a simple recipe for making a lovely Rosehip Syrup.

Rosehips are berry-like fruits of the rose family found in gardens and on country lanes. They range in colour from orangey-red to deep purple and makes an aromatic syrup which tastes a little of tropical fruit. It’s packed with Vitamin C!

Use this fabulous pink syrup as a mixer for a refreshing drink made up with water or lemonade, serve on pancakes and waffles, on your cheese plate or with thick yoghurt or ice cream for a refreshing floral hit.

To make 1 litre of syrup you will need:

Method

1. First, prepare your bottles or jars by sterilising them. Wash in hot soapy water, rinse and put them in your oven to dry out at 120°C/Gas 1⁄2.
2. Trim the tops and bottoms from the rosehips then cut the hips in half.
3. Chop up the rosehips roughly either in a food processor or by hand and add them to 1.25 litres of water in a large saucepan.
4. Turn on the heat and bring the rosehips to a boil, simmering for around 15 minutes.
5. Strain the mix through a double layer of muslin and allow the pulp to sit for 30-60 minutes so that all the juice can pass through. Do this twice, washing the muslin in between.
6. Measure the juice into a large saucepan; you will need 325g sugar per 500ml of juice.
7. Add the allocated amount of sugar to the juice and heat slowly, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.
8. Boil to reduce the liquid by half, or more if you want a very glutinous syrup. Be sure to skim off any scum if necessary.
9. Immediately pour the hot syrup into your prepared bottles or jars and seal.
10. Allow the syrup to cool completely before use.